Following a loss to LSU, Auburn is preparing to face a young Ole Miss team, who currently has 49 newcomers on the roster.
The freshmen have had a big impact on the team so far. Currently 84.5 % of Ole Miss’ offense has come from freshmen, the most by any team in the country.
Thus far, Ole Miss has started Matt Corral and John Rhys Plumlee at quarterback, Corral being a redshirt freshman and Plumlee being a true freshman. While neither quarterback has been overly effective in the passing game, Plumlee has been a dynamic threat rushing for 508 yards on 86 attempts (5.9 yards per carry).
Auburn Head Coach Gus Malzahn noted Plumlee as a guy to look out for going into the matchup.
“He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands and he’s had a lot of explosive runs,” Malzahn said. “I think up until last week he was one of the top rushers in our league, from a quarterback standpoint and he’s rotating with another guy so I think that really says everything you need to say.”
Along with the young quarterbacks, true freshman running back, Jerrion Ealy, has been a playmaker, not only out of the backfield, but as a kick returner. Ealy set a Rebel freshman record during the Texas A&M game with 273 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and also leads the SEC in kickoff returns for a touchdown.
Ealy left the Texas A&M game with a concussion but has been cleared from concussion protocol and is a full-go for the game this weekend.
At wide receiver the Rebels have seen an increasing role for true freshman Jonathon Mingo. Mingo has started every game this season, totalling nine receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown.
Like most things, there are disadvantages as well as advantages to having such a young team.
One of the tougher parts of having a young team comes from trying to make sure the freshmen are ready and won’t be confused by different looks.
“You’re worried about our own youth and confusing us,” Ole Miss offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez said Monday. “The last thing you want to do for our guys is have some indecision or some confusion up front and all of a sudden now we can’t execute.”
The Rebels will look for their freshmen to continue to play a big role against Auburn, a defense Rodriguez says might be one of the most impressive in the past several years.
While it can be tough to play a young team, this also allows the Rebels to grow and develop very early on.
“It’s a very, very talented class,” Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke said earlier in the season. “That’s the exciting part you want to build on, because these guys are only going to continue to get better. You know the future is bright, you know we’re coming.”
Rodriguez echoed a similar statement to Luke.
“If you’re watching the film you’re like, OK, there’s a true freshman at left tackle, there’s a true freshman at running back, a true freshman at quarterback, two or three at wideout, it’s invaluable experience for sure.”
Getting younger players in early has also proved invaluable for Luke and the rest of the Ole Miss recruiting staff.
“I think people see that,” Luke said. “You don’t have to pitch it, they all see it, so I think that’s good. Anybody you talk to, you don’t even have to say it. They already say it, ‘Man, you guys are young. Y’all are young. Y’all are right there.’ Everybody sees it and I think we’ve just got to build on it and find a way to get over that hump.”
No. 11 Auburn will kick off its four-game home stretch against Ole Miss Saturday at 6:00 p.m. CST. The game will be televised on ESPN.
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